{"nrhp_refnum":"73000706","name":"Elsah Historic District","other_names":["Jersey Landing"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"N of McAdams Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elsah","county":"Jersey County","state":"IL","lat":38.95923699300005,"lon":-90.3601271197233,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-07-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district covering the Mississippi River village of Elsah, Jersey County, Illinois, also called Jersey Landing. It was named and surveyed by James Semple in 1853 and contains about 48 buildings with 19th-century work.","why_significant":"The nomination calls Elsah one of the best-preserved river towns left on the northern Mississippi River, with a strong 1850s atmosphere. Its buildings, mostly built before 1861, show a remarkable architectural continuity, chiefly rural Greek Revival. The surviving commercial street, taverns and hotel show the economy of a small river town, and the setting has stayed largely unchanged.","narrative":"Elsah is a small Mississippi River village in Jersey County, Illinois, surveyed and named by James Semple in 1853 and essentially full-grown by about 1861. The historic district holds roughly 48 buildings with 19th-century portions, including 19 stone buildings, five early brick houses and an early frame hotel. Most follow a rural Greek Revival style, with a few mansard-roofed, Italianate and American Gothic touches. Three areas keep nearly unchanged 19th-century views: the former business district along LaSalle Street, three blocks of Mill Street, and a row of brick and stone houses between Elm and Alpa Streets. The old commercial street still has its four taverns and hotel. Remains of a railroad tunnel and cut recall Jay Gould's 1880s plans. Poverty, isolation and the long holding of surrounding land by two families, then Principia College, kept change small. A filling station by architect Bernard Maybeck is among the few notable modern additions.","period_of_significance":"1847-1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Rural Greek Revival, with Second Empire, Italianate and American Gothic examples","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as occupied, in fair condition and somewhat altered, with uses including private residence, commercial, educational, religious, museum and park; preservation work was in progress.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.630376-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/8930/28893055/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000706.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000706/63a5d58526-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000706/63a5d58526-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mill_and_Selma,_Elsah.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mill_and_Selma,_Elsah.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893055","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsah_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18149871"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jersey-county/elsah-historic-district-73000706/"}